Tuesday, 13 May 2014

show me the money….

My response usually varies but usually ends up sounding something like this " She is our special gift, we are grateful to be her parents" ( yes I know, I did not answer the question)

sweet girl loves plants… plants don't always love her ;)

Yes there are costs involved with adoption. We have chosen international adoption and with this commitment we have taken on the responsibility of paying the costs that come. These expenses are different for every family and in every situation. New expenses can quickly pop up, or in the best case scenario expenses can be less than expected! But to help those better understand the adoption process we have written up a list of possible expenses that adoptive families can experience.

Agency fees- no the family is not paying for their child… but for the agency to run they need employees, buildings, and have day to day expenses. The agencies role is to work with the family to make the adoption successful. They help families organize the paperwork, follow the proper process, guide and answer questions and help meet requirements.

$2 000- $5 000 +

In country costs- this may cover the cost of the child's living expenses, ( housing, food, clothing etc) staff taking care of child, staff dealing with paperwork and courts, translation of documents, finding biological parents to sign paperwork etc

$10 000- $20 000

Home study- for international adoption home study is the expense of the family. This would include the fees to meet with the home study practitioner to have the home study written up, along with travel costs

$2 000-$3 000

Authentication fees- all paperwork needs to authenticated by certain people ( lieutenant governor, embassy, lawyers, etc) before it can be presented in court. These fees vary greatly!

$500- $2 000+

Citizenship/Immigration- to come to Canada the child either needs to go through the citizenship or immigrations process. Both process include lots of paperwork, sending authenticated documents and fees for processing

$300- $2 000+

Travel expenses- expenses will vary greatly depending on how long the family needs to be in the country, and what season they travel, and what they choose to do while they are in the country.

$10 000 +

This is not a complete list, it is just to give you a basic idea of what expenses families who adopt internationally face. I know for certain I forgot possible expenses, and all numbers are just an estimate. It may be easy to respond by saying " just adopt in Canada, it is cheaper" but please remember people who are adopting are not doing it to save money, they are doing it to expand their family, and to provide a safe loving home to a child in need.